Set in stone in grounds of Blarney Castle

There’s more to Blarney Castle than kissing the famous stone. The 100-acre gardens have been home to large sculptures since 2012. ‘Sculpture at the Castle’ is one of the largest outdoor sculpture trails in Ireland. This year, it will be launched by the director of the Crawford Art Gallery, Peter Murray, on June 13.

With 300,000 visitors annually to the castle, from home and abroad, the trail is a showcase of contemporary Irish sculpture scattered throughout the formal gardens, natural features and waterways. The permanent sculpture trail includes work by Eamonn Ceannt, Kathleen Standen and Peter Koning. These works are joined, every summer, by works from artists around Ireland.

‘Sculpture at the Castle’ is the brainchild of potter Helen Daly, who works part-time at the Blarney Castle shop and makes her own ceramic ware. “I work with Charles Colthurst, the owner of the castle. I suggested the idea to Charles and we both worked on it with the help of artist Kate Hegarty, and the 10 or 12 full-time gardeners that work in the grounds.”

A call for submissions was put out in April. “We had about 40 applicants. Some of them exhibited last year and some of them were brand-new applicants. This year, we have chosen 11 new participants. It’s difficult enough to choose from all the applications.

“Not every artist’s work would be suitable for the exhibition. The pieces need to be robust and must be capable of being outdoors all through the summer. We have a fair amount of ceramics this year. There’s lots of stone, too, and wood, which really fits in with the garden. We even have concrete fibre, which can withstand all kinds of weather. Curious onlookers like to touch the sculptures, so the pieces must be strong enough for that,” Helen says.

Sculptors exhibiting this year include Leanne McLaughlin, Brigid Corcoran and Avril Wayte. Michelle Maher is back with a ceramic piece made up of 45 spears. “We have metal work, as well. There are some stainless steel horses that are installed in the stable yard.

“We have a number of wooden pieces, including Peter Koning’s large piece of bog oak, which is 6,000 years old. It’s over 20 feet high.

“It’s really impressive and is being exhibited right in front of the castle. Leanne McLaughlin is exhibiting a sculpture made out of bamboo.”

As Daly says, the sculpture garden is a huge draw. “Of course, the Blarney stone is the star of the show. The vast majority of visitors come to see that first. But the sculpture really adds another dimension to the experience of Blarney Castle. You could spend the day wandering the gardens. The sculpture trail draws people to places they might not necessarily go.

“It’s of benefit to the castle and it’s also of benefit to the sculptors, who are getting an amazingly big audience. Eamonn Ceannt, who’s based in Dublin, has a beautiful bronze sculpture in the gardens’ permanent collection and he has received a huge number of hits on his website from all over the world, as a result.”

Visitors to the castle and gardens come from the cruise liners docked in Cobh, and there is always a large cohort of people from language schools.

The official launch of this summer’s exhibition will also include the opening of the new court exhibition rooms, featuring film footage of the Muskerry tram, as well articles on Blarney Castle through the ages.